Washing-machine



W. H. SARGENT.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4. 1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. SARGENT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR .TO WAYNE MANIlEAd- TUBING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MIS S OURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

WflSHING MACHINE.

Application filed April 4, 1919.

ing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus such as domestic washing machines which may be used in the household for washing clothes. The invention is particularly applicable to the type of washing machines that are driven by a small motor. The general object of the invention is to provide improved means for receiving the oscillating movement at the receptacle or tub. According to this feature of the invention, I provide means for distributing the strains on the side of the'tub, that are incident to the rocking or. oscillating movement. When applied to a washing machine having a clothes wringer as an accessory, I provide -means for driving the wringer or oscillating the tub independently of each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the washing machine can be readily converted into a churn. Further objects pear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the general combination of parts and in the features of said parts hereinafter described, all of which of the invention will apc0ntribute' to produce an eflicient washing mg specification, while the broad c shown in 1 broken away,

machine. I, p

A preferred embodiment of my invention will be particularly described in the followscope of my invention will be pointed out inthe appended claims. 1

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, certain parts being broken away; i;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine Fig. 1, certain parts of the machine being broken away;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, partially ploy for converting the washing machine into a churn.

Referring more which may be of any suitable construction,

bars 2 between which the receptacle or tub. 3 is supported. This tub may be of any Specification of Letters Patent.

*- to provide a bracket illustrating the means Iemparticularly to the parts, .1 represents the frame of the machine Serial No. 287,564.

suitable form, but, as illustrated, is of elongated box form, presenting fiat vertical sides 4:, and a bottom 5having curved portions 6 which connect the bottom with the Such a receptacle or tub. is usually oscil-' lated by means of a connecting rod,-and as the water within the tub may acquire considerable momentum in the reciprocating movement, the pointof connection of the connecting considerable local strain. For this reason, I provide means for at this point.

In order to provide for distributing the strain arising from transmitting the oscillating movement to the receptacle, I prefer which may be of substantial triangular form,see Fig. l. -I provide such a bracket 11 on one side, and a similar bracket on the opposite side. The sides 4 of such a tub are usually formed of a plate ofsheet metal,an'd this plate preflange 13 running' along the lower edge of the tub, adjacent sents a projection or the bottom 5, and it also presents upper projections or flanges l l disposed on opposite sides of the vertical middle axis of the side of the tub, for example toward each end, and preferably on the elevated corners of the ends of the tub. The flanges 14 may be continuations of the flange 13.

The brackets 11 and 12 are provided with sockets 15 which receive the bottom flanges or projections 13, and beyond these sockets 15, each bracket is formed with a shoe 16, which projects under the bottom.

Securing means is 'provided for clamping rod to, the tub is subjected to distributing the strain Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

the brackets 11 and 12 on the sides of the tub, and this securing means includes four saddles 17. These saddles are simply in the form of curved plates which seat on the pro-- jections or flanges 14 at the upper corners k of the sides of the tub. To this end, each saddle is formed with a socket 18 which receives the projection or flange 14 at this point. Furthermore each of these saddles 17 is connected by a tension rod 19 with its corresponding bracket 11 or 12. This may be accomplished by means of an integral lug 20 on the side of the bracket, through which the end of the stem or rod 19 passes, and on this lug a nut 21 seats. It will be evident that in order to make this connection secure, it is necessary that the flange 14,shall be disposed at an elevated point, and located on opposite sides of the vertical axis of the side of the tub, so that when the nuts 21 are screwed up, tension will be developed in each rod, which will result in pulling the shoes 16 of the brackets tightly up against the bottom flange.

In order to support the tub on the frame so that it will oscillate, I prefer to provide the upper ends of the side brackets with trunnions 22 respectively, and these trunnions are received in sockets 23 formed the elevated side bars 2 of the frame. This supports the receptacle at a point above its center of gravity.

In order to eifect the connection to the tub for oscillating it, I provide the bracket 11 with a downward extension 24 to which the connecting rod 25 is attached. Any suitable means may be provided for actuating the connecting rod, for example an electric motor 26, supported on a horizontal frame bar 27 in the lower part of the frame.

As an accessory to the tub, I provide a wringer 28, and mechanism driven by the motor for driving the wringer or oscillating the tub independently of each other. Furthermore, the mechanism associated with the wringer enables the wringer to be drivenin either direction. In order to accomplish these purposes, the connecting 'rod* 25 is connected to a crank 29 on a suitable shaft 30', the ends of which are rotatably mounted in suitable bearings supported on the frame. The shaft 30 carries a gear wheel 35 which is driven continuously by a pinion 34 on a shaft 31 which is driven from a motor 26 by a belt 33 running over a pulley 32 on the shaft 31. The gear wheel 35 is loosely mounted on the crank shaft 30. One face of this gear wheel 35 is in the form of a clutch-member 36which cooperates with a sliding clutch member 37 which is mounted on a feather or spline 38 on the shaft 30, so that when it is rotated, it will rotate the shaft. InFig. 2 this clutch is shown in its openposition. On its opposite sidethe gear wheel 35 is formed into a bevel gear 39 meshing with a bevel pinion 40 attached to the lower end of an upwardly extending shaft 41 for driving the wringer 38.

With the upper end of this shaft 41 is associated a two-way clutch 42, in one position of which the wringer will be driven in one direction, and in the other position of whichthe wringer will be driven in the opposite direction. For this purpose, adjacent to the wringer I provide a special frame 43, see Fig. 1, which carries a large bevel gear-44, the shaft 45 of which extends into the wringer and drives the lower roller 46. The upper roller 47 of the wringer is driven by suitable gears 48, from the shaft 45. This gear 44 meshes with two driving pinions 49 and 50, the former engaging its lower ledge while the latter engages its upper ledge. The adjacent faces 51 of these pinions 49 and 50 constitute clutch members, and between them. there is mounted a slid: ing clutch member 52 on the shaft 41, said clutch member being splined in the same manner as the clutch member 37 is splined on its shaft 30. -When the clutch member 52 engages the upper end of the lower pinion 49, evidently the wringer will be driven in an opposite direction from the drive that would occur if the clutch member 52 were inengagement with the lower face of the upper pinion 50.

' As shown in Fig. 1, this clutch member is in a neutral position, at which. time, it engages neither of the pinions50 nor 51, and hence the wringer will not be driven. The clutch member 52 may be shifted to either of the driving positions described above by means of a suitable lever 53, an arm 54 of which carries a link 55, the lower end. of said link being formed into a yoke 56 connecting with the clutch member 52 by means of a loose collar or sliding clutch-member 37.

Adjacent the lever53,'a small quadrant 58" opening and closing the clutch, consisting of'the clutch members 36 and 37. i This is accomplished by a swivel rod 60, the upper end of which is mounted in a suitable bearing 61 attached to-a cross bar 62 of the frame. The upper end of this swivel rod on the The lower end of t e swivel carries a suitable lever 63 restin cross bar 62.

rod 60 is provided with-a suitable yoke 64 which engages the clutch member 37 for 4 sliding it in the well known manner.

With this organization of parts, it is evident that when the two-way clutch 42 is in its neutral position,. the wringer will not be driven. If the -clutch, composed of the members 36 and 37 isclosed, the tub will be oscillated. Hence it is evident that the i tub and the wringer may be independently driven. It has already been explained how the wringer may be driven in; either direction.

I provide means enabling me to utilize the oscillat ing movement of the receptacle 3 for churning. In order to accomplish this, I prefer to provide a construction such as that illustrated in F ig. 3, in which I provide an inner receptacle 65 which can be suspended in the opening 9 after removing the cover 7.

A When suspended in this way, the inner receptacle 65 extends downwardly into the interior of the tub so that its lower end can dip into a bath of water the level of which may come to about the position of the line a, see Fig. 3. In winter time, this water bath will be warm so as to raise the temperature of the cream if it is too cold, and

thereby facilitate the bringing of the cream -the upper end of the inner receptacle 65 is formed with a lateral projection or shoulder 67 which rests on this ledge so as to support the inner receptacle. Beyond this shoulder 67, the inner receptacle presents an upwardly extending neck 68. In addition to this, the inner receptacle is provided with a removable cover 69 which rests upon the inner side of the shoulder 67 It is evident that by using such an inner receptacle the oscillation of the tub can be utilized to churn the cream into butter. Furthermore, it will be seen that the act of converting the washing machine into a churn is a very simple one.

It is understood that the embodiment of the inventiondescribedherein is only one of the many embodiments or forms this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of my invention, nor in my claims to the particular embodiment set forth.

to secure by Letcombination of a frame, an elongated receptacle, a bracket mounted on each side of said receptacle, securing means engaging the edges of each side toward each end, for

clamping each bracket in position, said brackets having trunnions supported on said frame to enable the receptacle to swing on said frame, and means attached to one of said brackets for oscillating said receptacle.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, an elongated receptacle, a bracket disposed on each side of said receptacle engaging the bottom edge of each side, securing means attached to each bracket extending upwardl and engaging the upper edge of the side of the receptacle toward each end, for clamping each bracket to the receptacle, said brackets having trunnions supported on said frame to enable the receptacle to swing on said frame, and means attached to one of said brackets for oscillating said receptacle.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, an elongated receptacle having sides with projecting edges on opposite sides of the vertical middle axis of each side, a bracket disposed on each side of said receptacle engaging the bottom, securing means including saddles mounted on said projecting edges on each side and at each end of the receptacle, said securing means being connected with said brackets to hold said brackets in position, said brackets having trunnions supported on said frame to enable the receptacle to swing on said frame, and means attached to said brackets for oscillating said receptacle.

4. In a machine of the class described, tl 1e combination of a frame, an elongated receptaclehaving sides with a projecting bead adjacent the bottom of said receptacle and having upper projecting beads on opposite sides of the vertical middle axis of each side, avbracket disposed on each side of said receptacle engaging the bottom bead at each side, securing means including saddles mounted on each of said upperprojecting -beads,on each side and at each end of the receptacle, said securing means being connected with said brackets to hold said brackets in position, said brackets having trunnions supported on said frame to en- 1 able the receptacle to swing on said frame, and means attached to said brackets for oscillating said receptacle.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, an elongated receptacle having a bottom and having sides -with elevated corners, a bracket disposed on each side of said receptacle engaging the bottom, saddles seating on the upper corners of each side, an inclined stem connected at its upper ends to each saddle, and secured to the bracket at its other end, said stems In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set myhand.

.WILLIAM H, SARGENT.

afiording means for clamping the brackets 

